The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is commonly used for formatting research papers and citing sources in various academic disciplines, including English literature, modern languages, and comparative literature. MLA style provides guidelines for formatting manuscripts, in-text citations, and works cited pages or bibliographies. Due to its widespread usage across many disciplines in the humanities, MLA style has become one of the most commonly used research paper formats.
The key principles of MLA style include:
Using Times New Roman 12 point font
Double spacing throughout the entire research paper, including title page, body text, block quotes, footnotes/endnotes, and bibliography/works cited page
1-inch margins on all sides
Page numbers in the upper right-hand corner on every page after the title page
Italicizing book and journal titles instead of underlining them
Putting citations in the body of the text instead of footnotes or endnotes
Citing sources in narrative format instead of using numbers
Presenting the sources together on a separate Works Cited page at the end, arranged alphabetically by author’s last name
This MLA sample paper template provides a basic overview of the key elements of an MLA research paper:
Title Page
The title page should include:
The title of the paper centered in the upper half of the page
Your name
The instructor’s name
The class name and number
The submission date
Body Text
The body text should be double spaced with 1-inch margins on all sides. Each new paragraph should be indented half an inch. Page numbers should appear in the top right corner on every page starting with the first page of the actual text.
The first page of the body text should include the centered title but no heading or label. Subsequent pages do not repeat the title.
Paragraphs should be block style paragraphs, with no additional spacing between paragraphs.
Block Quotes
For direct quotations of more than four typed lines in the body of the paper, block quotes should be used. Block quotes are set off from the regular text by beginning each quoted line one-half inch from the left margin, while maintaining regular paragraph indentation.
Block quotes should be double spaced like the regular text, with no additional spacing before or after the quote. The parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation of the quote.
For example:
As one scholar notes, “Long quotes that take up more than four lines of the written text are indented one-half inch from the left margin and double spaced, like the rest of the paper. The parenthetical citation comes after the final punctuation mark” (Smith 125).
Citations
In MLA style, sources are cited using parenthetical citations in the text rather than footnotes or endnotes. The citations correspond to full source information listed alphabetically on the Works Cited page.
Citations usually include the author’s last name and a page number in parentheses after the quoted material, e.g. (Smith 125). If no page number is available for a quote or paraphrase, only include the author’s last name in the citation, e.g. (Smith).
Multiple citations are arranged chronologically and separated by semicolons, e.g. (Smith 125; Johnson 17). If no author is given, use a shortened title instead, e.g. (“Article Title” 57). If two works by the same author are cited, include the author’s name for both citations.
Works Cited Page
The Works Cited page begins on a new page after the body text. The page is labeled “Works Cited” and is double spaced like the rest of the paper. All citations are arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name.
Each citation is presented in a consistent MLA style format with a hanging indent and double spaced lines. Sources are arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name and include all relevant publication details.
For books, the citation should provide the author’s name, book title italicized, publisher city, publisher name, year of publication, and any page numbers consulted.
For example:
Smith, Jane. Research in MLA Style. New York, Academic Press, 2019.
For articles in journals or magazines, the citation includes the author’s name, article title in quotation marks, journal/magazine title italicized, volume and issue number, year, month and date (if available), and page range consulted.
For example:
Johnson, John. “Citing Sources Correctly.” Journal of Academic Writing, vol. 10, no. 3, 2020, pp. 125-150.
This sample paper provides a basic overview of the key elements of MLA formatting and citations for a research paper. Students should always refer to the most recent MLA Handbook for the official rules and guidelines, as MLA style and requirements evolve over time. This template provides a solid foundation for formatting an MLA paper and properly citing research sources according to MLA guidelines. Following the MLA style consistently will ensure research papers are presented professionally and sources are properly acknowledged.